The Egypt Monitor

Tagammu Party Harshly Criticizes the Regime

The leftist Tagammu party issued a statement in early August criticizing the Egyptian regime. The party claims that

Egypt

is going through the worst phase of its modern history due to poor public services, human right abuses, and the deterioration of living standards. The statement invited all opposition forces to join forces to save the nation.

Security Forces Prevent Meeting at the Engineers Club

More than 500 engineers were prevented by the security forces from holding a meeting at the Engineers Club. The meeting was meant to discuss a strategy on how to end the government control of the Engineer Syndicate (ES). The ES has been managed by state appointed conservators for the last 15 years. Engineers hope to regain control of their syndicate.

Ayman Nour's Accomplice Found Hanged in Prison Cell

On September 6, 2007 Ayman Ismail was found hanged in his prison cell. Ismail was serving a five-year jail sentence for being an accomplice of Ayman Nour, the former Ghad-Tomorrow- party leader, after presumably forging signatures of party founders. Ismail was sharing the cell with three other inmates who discovered the corpse in the morning. The Ministry of Interior issued a statement stated that Ayman Ismail was suffering from depression, which probably led him to suicide. Ismail's family denies that he committed suicide and believes that he was murdered.

Sinai Bedouins Ends a Two Days Protest

Thousands of Sinai Bedouins ended two days of protests after the release of two Sinai Bedouin detainees. The relationship between the state and the Bedouins has been tense in the last few months. Bedouins complain of poor living conditions and land ownership issues.

5000 Employees of "Real Estate Taxes" Demonstrate Over Bonuses

Five thousand employees of the "Real Estate Taxes" demonstrated on September 10, 2007 and threatened to start a general strike. The "Real Estate Taxes" employees are currently under the authority of local council and wish to be put under the authority of the ministry of finance like other tax authorities. The move would increase their bonuses for up to nine months of salary.

Muslim Brotherhood Sends a Political Program to Thinkers and Intellectuals

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) drafted a political program in what might be a step to apply for the creation of a political party. The program was sent to intellectuals and thinkers for review and feedback before it is as adopted as the official political program of the MB.

Jail Sentences for Four Editors of Independent Papers

On September 13, 2007 a surprise verdict condemned four editors of political tabloids to two years in jails for "humiliating the symbols of the ruling National Democratic Party". The four editors are Ibrahim Eissa, editor of al-Destour; Adel Hammouda, editor of al-Fagr; Wael Al-Ebrashi, editor of Sawt al-Umma; and Abdel-Halim Kandil, editor of al-Karama, all of whom have been critical of the regime. The editors will appeal this verdict.

Journalists Syndicate Discuss Protest

The Journalists Syndicate (JS) met on September 16, 2007 to express opposition to the regime’s persecution of journalists. The JS aims to start a wave of protests, beginning with one day of intentionally not publishing independent and party newspapers. The protests were prompted by two-year jail sentences of four independent newspaper editors accused of "humiliating the symbols" of the ruling National Democratic Party.

Several Syndicates Creates "Opinion Front" to Defend Freedom of the Press

On September 20, the Journalists Syndicate, the Lawyers Syndicate and the Union of Writers joined forces to create an "Opinion Front" to defend freedom of speech in

Egypt

.

Wafd Party Newspaper Editor Sentenced To Two Years in Jail

On September 24, 2007, Anwar al-Hawari, the editor of the Wafd Newspaper, and two other Wafd journalists were sentenced to two years in jail. The journalists were accused of tarnishing the reputation of the Minister of Justice. The Wafd Newspaper is owned by the liberal Wafd party, and is the largest opposition daily in

Egypt

.

Workers Go on Strike in Major Industrial Sector

In the Nile Delta industrial city of Mahalla-al-Kubra, 27,000 workers of the public sector Mahalla Spinning and Weaving Company went on strike on September 23 after the management denied them up to 150 days pay in dividends, incentives, and target-meeting bonuses. The strike lasted for one week, and is considered to be the largest strike in the last two decades. The government was forced to accept some of the workers demands to end the crisis. The city of

Mahalla

was under tight security for a week as solidarity strikes and rallies spread across the country. Mahalla is known as the bastion of the textile industry in

Egypt

.

Governemnt Bans the Muslim Brotherhood Annual Gala Dinner

The Egyptian government banned the annual Muslim Brotherhood (MB) Gala dinner for the first time in twenty years. The MB holds an annual "iftar"- Ramadan dinner- in a five star hotel. The event is attended by Muslims and Christians, with 1500 guests representing various political forces, intellectuals, artists and many public figures.

Muslim Brotherhood Leader Released

On October 4, 2007, the Cairo Criminal Court decided to release Issam al-Eryan- one of the leading figures of the Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Eryan was detained on grounds that he attended an illegal meeting, which he states was an innocent meal at a friend’s home.

Newspapers Protests

On October 7, 2007, Twenty-two independent and opposition party newspapers boycotted publishing their papers in protest of government violations of freedom of speech. The day has been declared an international solidarity day with Egyptian journalists. In September, five editors of major newspapers received two-year jail sentences for criticizing the Egyptian regime. The Journalists Syndicate issued a statement highlighting the message of solidarity from Egyptian NGOs and human rights activists.

Muslim Brotherhood Leaders Trial Adjourned

The military tribunal trial for the 33 leaders of Muslim Brotherhood (MB) was adjourned to July 15. The military court refused to release on bail Khairat Al-Shater, second deputy leader of the MB. Further, the authorities did not allow the media or international observers, including former US general attorney Ramsey Clark into the trial location.

A Unified Law for the Buidling and Repair of Places of Worship

The speaker of the People's Assembly (PA) declared that the lower House will pass a new law concerning the building and repair of places of worship. The new law aims at creating a unified law for all places of worship of the three national religions of Egypt: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. It is currently easier for Muslims to build places of worship. The PA is to base the new law on the recommendation of the National Council of Human Rights.

The Egyptian Union of Liberal Youth Elects its First Board

The newly created Egyptian Union of Liberal Youth (EULY) elected its first board of directors on June 1st, 2007. Thirteen candidates run for the ten board seats. EULY is an initiative to unite the efforts of Liberal Youth in Egypt regardless of their party or non-party affiliations.

Public Transport Workers on Strike

In early May hundreds of public transport workers went on strike to protest their poor remuneration. The workers complained that their salaries do not exceed LE 500 ( around US $ 90 ) a month after ten years in service. On May 2d they prevented 250 buses from resuming their duties.

Attempts at Imploding the Judges Club

Presidents of two Judges Clubs from the provinces made an attempt to split from the main Judge's Club headquartered in Cairo. The plan aimed at making creating a federation of Judges Clubs nation wide, hence diminishing the role of the main Club in Cairo. However, Judges from Asyut- one the the two rebel Clubs- challenged the Club's president to withdraw his project and stay loyal to Cairo's headquarters or else vote him out of office. The president of the Asuyt Club sent apologies to the Judges at the end of May.

Reformist Judges consider that this to be the regime's attempt to implode the Judge's Club because of the Judges's positions on independence of the Judiciary and democracy.

Ayman Nour Suffers Injuries in Jail

The jailed leader of the Ghad- Tomorrow- Party suffered 16 injuries on May 12. Nour accused the authorities of inflicting these injuries as part of his generally poor treatment in jail. The authorities are investigating Nour's complaints. Pictures of the injuries were published in the Ghad party website.

The Wafd Party Boycots the Shura Elections

On May 7th, 2007 the Higher Committee of the Wafd Party decided that the party will not  participate in the Shura Council- Upper House- elections due to start on June 11, 2007. The Wafd party refuses to participates the Upper House elections as long the House does not have real legislative powers. The party also raised concerns on the new laws on electoral supervision perceived as not being conducive to fair elections.

Clashes Between Muslim and Copts Over Church Building

Sectarian clashes erupted in the Giza village of Bamha on May 11, 2007 over the construction of a Church. A plot of land and rumor concerning the building of a Church without proper permit seems to be behind the clashes. On the Coptic side, there were 11 injured, 25 houses and 5 shops burned down. The village priest accused the Mosque's Imam of sparking this sedition- a first in the 6000 inhabitant village.

A controversial reconciliation session took place as it did not settle the issue of compensating for damaged properties. The Pope Shenouda III asked the Copts to accept reconcilation and reject compensation, which angered many Copts.

Leading Figures in the Jihad Organization to Review their Ideology

Dr Ahmed Hussein Egueza, who served a 15 year jail sentence, declared that he is joining the revisionists in the Egyptian Jihad Organization. He mentioned that the ideologue and founder of the Egyptian Jihad Organization, Dr Sayid Imam Al-Sherif, is leading this initiative. The Egyptian Jihad Organization was considered to be a model for groups such as al-Qaida, whose deputy chief- Dr Ayman Zawahri- was once a leading figure. Al-Zawahri opposes the revisionist trend in the Egyptian Jihad organization.

Parties Committee Agrees on a New Party

On May 24, the government controlled Parties Committee agreed on the creation of a new party, the Democratic Front (DF). The DF has a liberal ideology and is founded by former NDP reformers. It is the 24th political party in Egypt and the third liberal party after the Wafd and the Ghad- Tomorrow - Party.

More the 500 Muslim Brotherhood Members Arrested

The authorities arrested more than 500 members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) in order to prevent them from running and campaigning for the Shara Council elections- Upper House- due to start on June 11, 2007. The MB considers this to be a regime attempt to limit the success of the MB in the mid-term Shara elections.

Assistant Secretary General of the Wafd to Represent Egyptian Liberal Parties in the Arab Liberal Forum

Representatives of four parties, the National Democratic Party, the Ghad- Tomorrow- Party, the Democratic Front and the Wafd agreed to be represented by Sameh Ebeid, assistant secretary general of the Wafd party, to represent Egypt in the stirring committee of the Arab Liberal Forum (ALF). The previous ALF meeting took place in Casabalnca- Morocco- and the next meeting will take place in September in Cairo. The ALF is a pan-Arab initiative to promote liberalism.

Government Support for NDP Parliamentarians

An independent member of parliament, Gamal Zahran, accused the government of supporting the districts of MPs from the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), while neglecting the district where the opposition won. The MP wanted to interview government officials on this matters as he maintains that he has copies of checks from the government to mosques, hospitals and schools of the districts controlled by the NDP, whereas no such donations are given in the districts that elected opposition MPs. The NDP MPs prevented the opposition from entering a motion to present the case to the Central Auditing Authority.

Journalist Syndicate Concerned about Anti-Terrorist Law

The board of the Journalist Syndicate expressed its concern over comments made by Fathy Sourour -- the speaker of the People's Assembly (PA)- Lower House -- who declared that the new Anti-Terrorist Law will also be used against media outlets that encourage terrorism. The Syndicate is concerned that the new law could be misused in a way to curb freedom of the press.

MB Deputy Leader Aquited by Civilian Court

The second deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), Khairat al-Shater, was acquitted by Cairo Criminal Court -- a civilian court -- together with 11 other MB members. Brotherhood leaders are still concerned, however, because Shater and his companions are still being tried in a military court.

Military Courts to Begin Hearings on MB Cases

On April 26, the military court started hearing the cases of 33 Muslim Brotherhood leaders accused of money laundering and threatening the security of the state. The military courts are appointed by president Mubarak; the emergency law enables him to use these courts without appeal in sensitive cases.

State Council to View Nour's Release for Health Reason

The State Council will consider releasing Ayman Nour -- leader of the Ghad party -- for health reasons on May 22, 2007. Nour's Lawyers are hoping that the highest court in Egypt will release Ayman Nour because of his poor health condition and aim to prove that the ministry of interior manipulated evidence in this case.

El Ghad Party Launches a Radio Station

The Al Ghad party recently launched a web-based radio station. The station started broadcasting every night from 8 pm to 2 am Cairo time at www.elghad.org.

Wafd Party Launches a New Website

The Wafd party launched a new website (www.alwafdparty.com) to highlight its activities, program and important officials. The new site is the second website owned and operated by the party.

New Conflict Between Government and the Judges

The government plans to extend the retirement age to 70 for judges, which many judges see as an attempt to keep pro-government judges in power.

Ministry of Interior Considering Releasing main Extremist Militants

The ministry of interior is considering the release of Abboud el-Zomor, who is currently serving 25 years in prison for his role in the assassination of the late president Anwar Sadat. The ministry is also considering the release of several members of the Jihad organization as well as their leader Sheikh Sayed Imam. All of these detainees have renounced violence.

Egyptian Expatriates Taking Legal Action against the Referendum

Egyptian expatriates decided to take legal action against the controversial referendum on the constitution, claming that Egyptian nationals living abroad were not invited to participate.

Courts Confirm Freezing Assets of Muslim Bortherhood Members

The Cairo Criminal Court confirmed the Attorney General's decision to freeze the assets of 29 prominent Members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and their families on February 28, 2007. The assets to be worth 1.8 Billion Egyption Pounds -- around U$ 315 million.

3500 Lawyers Trained to Monitor Elections

The National Council of Human Rights and the Egyptian Coalition for the Support of Democracy are training 3500 lawyers to monitor elections. The training is taking place throughout 2007 and aims at preparing monitors for the March 26 referendum on the constitutional amendments as well as the Shura Council partial elections due later this year.

Wafd Party Asks the Nation to Reject the Constitutional Amendments

The Higher Committee of the Wafd party has officially rejected the constitutional amendments prepared by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). The party maintains that the changes will not be conducive to more freedom and that they tend to be a setback to democracy. The party vowed to coordinate its efforts with all opposition forces in opposing the changes.

Foreign History Curriculum banned from Foreign School

The ministry of education decided to ban the teaching of history from foreign curriculum in foreign schools operating in Egypt. The ministry considers that history should be thought according to the Egyptian curriculum to preserve the national identity. The decision was taken after the ministry realized that a foreign school history class was teaching that the pyramids were built by Hebrews.

Secretary General of the Lawyer Syndicate Opposes Constitutional Amendments

Ahmed Seif-El -Islam Al-Banna, secretary general of the Lawyer Syndicate, expressed his opposition to the constitutional amendments. According to Al-Banna the amendments will suppress political liberties and will not put Egypt on the path of democracy. Al-Banna is a prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and the son of Hassan Al-Banna- the founder of the MB in the 1920s.

Opposition Forces in parliament Reject Constitutional Changes

On March 12, 2007, all opposition parties and movements represented in parliament held a press conference in the headquarter of the Wafd party in which they officially opposed the constitutional amendments. The parties and movements represented were the liberal Wafd Party, the leftist Tagammu, the Arab nationalist Karam party, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Independent MPs. Mahmoud Abaza, the Wafd leader, read a statement in their name.

Security Forces Crushes Demonstartion Against Constitutional Amendments

On March 15, the security forces crushed the first main demonstration against the constitutional amendments. The protesters included activists from Kefaya  as well all opposition movements and parties. The security forces arrested dozens of protesters and prevented hundred from reaching central Cairo. The protesters were demonstrating against the proposed constitutional amendments considering them not reflecting the hope of the Egyptian people in drafting a democratic constitution.

Opposition Calls for the Boycott of the Referendum on Constitution

All opposition parties and movements called for the boycott of the referendum on the constitutional amendments. The opposition maintains that the regime ignored all their demands on the constitutional amendments, including limiting the terms of the president, constitutional guarantees for free and fair elections and not to have an anti-terrorist law that would be harsher than the current emergency law. The opposition considers that these amendments betray the regime's promises for reforms.

Low Voter Turnout On the Referendum on the Constitution

On March 26, 2007 Egyptians voted on the referendum for amending 34 articles of the Constitution. According to the Egyptian authority the amendments were approved by 75 percent of the voters with a 27 percent participation. However, civil society organizations that monitored the referendum claim that the voter turnout did not exceed 3 percent of registered voters.

Authorities Release Kefaya Protesters

The security forces released Kefaya activists who were under arrest on March 27,2007. Some activists were arrested shortly before the referendum on the constitution and were kept inside trucks in the desert near Cairo. Some protesters complained about the precarious sanitary conditions of their detention inside trucks.

Controversy Over Muslim Head Scarf

Comments made by Farouk Hosni, the veteran minister of culture, created uproar in the Egyptian parliament when he qualified the Muslim headscarf as being regressive. Hosni made the remarks while talking to a journalist, stating that previous generations of Egyptian women did not wear the headscarf and went to university. Members of parliaments affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and the ruling National Democratic party joined forces in attacking the minister for his remarks and called on the minister to explain his comments in parliament. Hosni refused to come to parliament or to go to his office for a week until MP's apologize for their verbal attacks. Hosni ended up going to parliament and agreed that the ministry of culture would set up a committee for religious culture- it is not clear what will be the impact of this committee on the activities of the ministry of culture, many Egyptian intellectuals considered that such a committee is the cornerstone of theocratic regimes.

Members of the European Parliaments Meet with Muslim Brotherhood MPs

On November 22, a delegation of European Parliament concluded their visit to Egypt by meeting with members of parliament from the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). The meeting took place in the MB headquarter in the Cairo district of Manial and discussions focused on the difficulties encountered by the MB to get legal recognition and function like other political parties.

Pharmacists Protest Against Treatment by Security Forces

On November 23, more than 10 000 pharmacists protested against bad treatment of pharmacists by security forces. The rally was part of the Pharmacist's Syndicate general assembly meeting. The Pharmacists threatened to go on strike if the police continues harassing them and mistreating them in police stations. Pharmacists qualified interference of the police in their trade as "illegal raids" to force them to change their position regarding the Pharmacist's syndicate refusal to sell state owned Egyptian drugs companies to foreign and Israeli investors.

No Change on Article 77 of the Constitution

According to the Wafd party newspapers, an undisclosed source from the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) declared that the policy secretariat, led by Gamal Mubarak, is exerting pressures on NDP members not to ask for amending Article 77 of the constitution. In its current form, Article 77 states that there is no limitations to presidential terms. Reformers wish to see the Article amended to make it illegal for presidents to stay for more than two terms in office.